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Levinson's wife: US not taking ownership

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U.S. government has failed to do enough to free him, Bob Levinson's family says

Family says documents strongly suggest Iranian officials arrested him

The family want U.S. to acknowledge Levinson's work with CIA; officials have not

Being up-front "would be more of a positive step to getting him home," son says

The family of Bob Levinson, who disappeared from Iran seven years ago, has long known he worked for the CIA -- a fact they once feared disclosing because the U.S. government told them it could put Levinson in even more jeopardy. Now, they believe it could be the key to bringing him home.

Members of Levinson's family offered the revelation in an interview with CNN on Tuesday, in which they accused the U.S. government of failing to do enough to find and free the missing American and prodded it to act before it's too late.

The family said it's time for the government to lay out the facts about Levinson's case.

"I hope they are hearing our request that (U.S. government officials) acknowledge what he was doing over there and they understand that the family does want this acknowledged now," the missing man's son, Dan Levinson, said. "And we think it would be more of a positive step to getting him home."

U.S. officials have consistently denied publicly that Levinson was working for the government.

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Iran says it doesn't have Bob Levinson

Americans detained abroad – Jeffrey Edward Fowle, one of three Americans detained in North Korea, was released and is now on his way home, a State Department official told CNN on Tuesday, October 21. Fowle was accused of leaving a Bible in a hotel where he was staying. North Korea announced Fowle's detention in June, saying he had violated the law by acting "contrary to the purpose of tourism." Fowle told CNN: "I've admitted my guilt to the government and signed a statement to that effect and requested forgiveness from the people and the government of the DPRK."

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Americans detained abroad – Matthew Todd Miller, the American sentenced to six years of hard labor in North Korea begins serving his six-year sentence on September 25. He is one of three Americans detained in North Korea, who spoke to CNN's Will Ripley on Monday, September 1, and implored the U.S. government for help. The 24-year-old is accused of tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum upon entry.

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Americans detained abroad – In May 2013, a North Korean court sentenced Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen, to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts" against the state. North Korea claimed Bae was part of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime. In a short interview with CNN on Monday, September 1, Bae said he is working eight hours a day, six days a week at a labor camp. "Right now what I can say to my friends and family is, continue to pray for me," he said.

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Americans detained abroad – American journalist Peter Theo Curtis was handed over to U.N. peacekeepers on August 24 after nearly two years in captivity. He is believed to have been captured in October 2012 and held by the al-Nusra Front, a Syrian rebel group with ties to al Qaeda.

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Americans detained abroad – Alan Gross, at right with Rabbi Arthur Schneier, has been in Cuban custody since December 2009, when he was jailed while working as a subcontractor. Cuban authorities say Gross tried to set up illegal Internet connections on the island. Gross says he was just trying to help connect the Jewish community to the Internet. Former President Jimmy Carter and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson have both traveled to Cuba on Gross' behalf, but they were unable to secure his release.

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Americans detained abroad – This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by insurgents in Afghanistan since 2009. The White House announced Bergdahl's release on May 31. Bergdahl was released in exchange for five senior Taliban members held by the U.S. military.

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Americans detained abroad – An Iranian court threw out a 2011 death sentence for Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine charged with spying. But he was secretly retried in Iran and convicted of "practical collaboration with the U.S. government," his sister told CNN on April 11. He has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, she said. Hekmati was detained in August 2011 during a visit to see his grandmother. His family and the Obama administration deny accusations he was spying for the CIA.

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Americans detained abroad – Retired FBI agent Robert Levinsonhas been missing since 2007. His family says he was working as a private investigator in Iran when he disappeared, and multiple reports suggest Levinson may have been working for the CIA. His family told CNN in January that they have long known that Levinson worked for the CIA, and they said it's time for the government to lay out the facts about Levinson's case. U.S. officials have consistently denied publicly that Levinson was working for the government, but they have repeatedly insisted that finding him and bringing him home is a "top" priority.

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Americans detained abroad – Warren Weinstein, a contractor held by al Qaeda militants, is a U.S. citizen who has been held hostage in Pakistan since August 2011.

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Americans detained abroad – U.S. tourist and Korean War veteran Merrill Newman arrives at the Beijing airport on December 7, 2013, after being released by North Korea. Newman was detained in October 2013 by North Korean authorities just minutes before he was to depart the country after visiting through an organized tour. His son Jeff Newman said the Palo Alto, California, man had all the proper paperwork and set up his trip through a North Korean-approved travel agency.

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Americans detained abroad – Mexican authorities arrested Yanira Maldonado, a U.S. citizen, right, in May 2013, for alleged drug possession. She and her husband, Gary, were traveling from Mexico back to the United States when their bus was stopped and searched. She was released a few days later and is now back in the United States.

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Americans detained abroad – Saeed Abedini, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen of Iranian birth, was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 2013. He was accused of attempting to undermine the Iranian government and endangering national security by establishing home churches.

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Americans detained abroad – North Korea has arrested Americans before, only to release them after a visit by a prominent dignitary. Journalists Laura Ling, center, and Euna Lee, to her right, spent 140 days in captivity after being charged with illegal entry to conduct a smear campaign. They were freed in 2009 after a trip by former President Bill Clinton.

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Americans detained abroad – Former President Jimmy Carter negotiated the release of Aijalon Gomes, who was detained in 2010 after crossing into North Korea illegally from China. Analysts say high-level visits give Pyongyang a propaganda boost and a way to save face when it releases a prisoner.

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Americans detained abroad – Eddie Yong Su Jun was released by North Korea a month after he was detained in April 2011. His alleged crime was not provided to the media. The American delegation that secured his freedom included Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues.

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Americans detained abroad – Robert Park was released by North Korea in 2010 without any apparent U.S. intervention. The Christian missionary crossed into North Korea from China, carrying a letter asking Kim Jong Il to free political prisoners and resign. North Korea's state-run news agency said Park was released after an "admission and sincere repentance of his wrongdoings." Here, Park holds a photo of Kim and a malnourished child during a protest in Seoul.

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Americans detained abroad – Josh Fattal, center, Sarah Shourd, left, and Shane Bauer were detained by Iran while hiking near the Iraq-Iran border in July 2009. Iran charged them with illegal entry and espionage. Shourd was released on bail for medical reasons in September 2010; she never returned to face her charges. Bauer and Fattal were convicted in August 2011, but the next month they were released on bail and had their sentences commuted.

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Americans detained abroad – Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, was detained at Iran's Evin Prison, spending months in solitary confinement before Iran released her on bail in August 2007. Esfandiari was visiting her ailing mother in Tehran when she was arrested and charged with harming Iran's national security.

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Americans detained abroad – Sixteen Americans were among the dozens arrested in December 2011 when Egypt raided the offices of 10 nongovernmental organizations that it said received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a public license. Many of the employees posted bail and left the country after a travel ban was lifted a few months later. Robert Becker, right, chose to stay and stand trial.

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Americans detained abroad – Filmmaker Timothy Tracywas arrested in Venezuela in April 2013 on allegations of funding opponents of newly elected President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chavez. Tracy went to Venezuela to make a documentary about the political division gripping the country. He was released in June 2013.

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EXPAND GALLERY

At the same time, they have repeatedly insisted finding him and bringing him home is a "top" priority.

"We obviously stand with the family who are the ones who live with every single day that their husband or their father isn't home with them," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. "So we are using every tool at our disposal to help bring him home to his family. We can't, obviously, talk about those."

White House officials have said they believe any recognition Levinson worked for the U.S. government is counterproductive.

While Iran has consistently denied knowing where Levinson is, the family provided CNN with copies of documents they described as an arrest order and a memo saying Levinson had been diagnosed with diabetes, was transferred to a hospital and had fallen into a coma. The family said they obtained the documents from a source in Iran.

They acknowledge they cannot authenticate the documents, but the family said they were provided a translation by the FBI and have been told the names of the officials listed on the document are real. Absent any other word about their missing loved one, it's the closest they have to proof that he was arrested and could remain in Iranian hands.

But Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif Wednesday said he had not seen the documents and repeated that the government has no knowledge of Levinson's whereabouts.

"I have not seen anything that could prove that he was ever in Iran," he said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with CNN's Jim Sciutto. "In fact, we have seen evidence ... he was last seen alive outside Iran, with pictures showing that he was outside Iran when he was last seen. It's a very unfortunate case. We've said clearly that we have no knowledge of his whereabouts... We need the United States to explain for Iran what a CIA operative was doing, if he was ever in Iranian territory, what was he doing in Iranian territory."

The Levinson family said Wednesday they "would be very happy to provide Minister Zarif with the documents as soon as possible, and any other information he may need so that Bob can safely return home to us."

Dan Levinson said the family believes getting his father's work history out into the open gives them the best chance of reuniting with him once again.

Bob Levinson, now 65, had gone to Iran on a mission to investigate corruption involving Iranian officials, according to an e-mail obtained by the family. Levinson disappeared shortly after arriving and has not been heard from since a 2010 video.

His situation gained renewed urgency in December, when The Associated Press and the Washington Post reported that he was working as an independent CIA contractor when he disappeared.

The CNN interview was the Levinson family's first since these news reports publicly revealed the retired FBI agent was working as a CIA contractor at the time of his disappearance.

The family's attorney, David McGee, said documents show "without a shadow of a doubt" that Levinson was a contract CIA operative who traveled extensively overseas recruiting and interviewing sources. One detail provided Tuesday to CNN includes an e-mail the family said was sent by Levinson to CIA officials discussing an investigation of Iranian corruption and discussion over the cost of his work.

"In connection with ongoing research I am conducting for an analytical report on the foreign investment of kickback and bribe monies of top Iranian government officials, an individual with detailed knowledge of this subject, with whom I have been in contact by phone and e-mail over the past year, has agreed to meet with me," the document reads. "This meeting will take place either in Dubai or on an island nearby and should cost about two or three thousand dollars."

The family said the CIA at first lied to them about the trip.

But after the family's lawyer discovered documents, including e-mails between Levinson and his handlers, the family said the CIA admitted Levinson was working undercover in Iran. Eventually, three CIA employees -- including Levinson's handler -- were fired and seven others disciplined in connection with the case. The CIA paid the family $2.5 million to avoid a lawsuit, McGee told CNN.

The Justice Department is still investigating the CIA with an eye toward possible obstruction charges involving allegations that officials lied to the Senate Intelligence Committee about Levinson's status.

The agency declined comment Tuesday.

Levinson's wife, Christine Levinson, said the FBI is working the case hard, but the government overall should be doing more.

"We thought that they would do the right thing and get him home as soon as possible," she said. "Unfortunately they haven't done anything, and this has been going on through two administrations, and nothing has gotten him home. And we don't know why."

The missing man's wife said the government should be using unspecified "intermediaries" to help negotiate a release.

"We have asked them in the past, and unfortunately we have not been able to get any intermediaries over there to Iran to work on the case," she said. "And now is the time for the United States government to authorize someone to do this."

The government has been treating the disappearance as a criminal case more than one requiring negotiation to resolve, according to McGee, the Levinson family's lawyer.

"This is something far beyond a criminal investigation, but there are people who have experience, who have the training, and who have the contacts and who have the history who can contact the Iranians, who can deal with the Iranians in good faith, who have the trust of the Iranians who should be brought into this and they have not been brought in yet," he said. "And that's one of our frustrations."

Levinson's familyhopes to return to Iran soon to press authorities to investigate the documents and provide more information.

"The Iranians have the documents," Christine Levinson said. "They have done nothing with them. They have not told us anything since we gave them to them. We would like to do the investigation ourselves if they are not able to do it."

Zarif told CNN, "If there is any hope or any use for this, Iran will consider it."

Levinson's family said Tuesday that they hope Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, will be more willing to help than his predecessor.

"What better way could he show the world that he is all about human rights and wants to do humanitarian deeds by helping a normal American family who is not political, who is not who has no concern other than getting their father home," Dan Levinson said. "He has the power to do that, he has the power to talk to these people, put us in touch with these people and find out what happened to my father and send him home."